University colleges and colleges of higher education (CHEs) are small to medium-sized institutions, often with a narrower range of academic disciplines than universities. Many are notable for their small campuses with a distinct sense of community. They often have only a few postgraduate degree programmes with relatively small numbers of Masters and Doctoral students. More importantly, though, the degrees they award will not be their own – they will be degrees validated by a university, but taught in the college.
Many CHEs have been awarded the title of university college, and some have been given full university status. Some of the newest universities in the UK were until recently CHEs and university colleges. King Alfred’s College, Winchester, for example, became University College Winchester in 2003 and then the University of Winchester in 2005.
A small number of higher education institutions are highly specialised in that they only provide programmes in a small range of subject areas. These include specialist agricultural colleges (e.g. Sparsholt College in Hampshire) and those with a focus on the creative or performing arts. The Central School of Speech and Drama in London, for example, specialises in drama and the creative arts.
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